Samantha Marker, RN has been one of my mother's nurses at TGH since her kidney transplant in January of this year. Unfortunately, my mom hasn't had the easiest recovery post-transplant, but with every trip to TGH, Sam was a star that brightened her day! She actually would hope that Sam was one of her nurses and would request to be on the 9th floor to hopefully get her.
Her most recent stay was a bit abnormal and my mother just wasn't herself, and Sam could see that. Due to work and family responsibilities, our family wasn't able to stay bedside with her 24/7 and relied on the updates from the nursing staff. Sam went above and beyond her scope to keep us informed and comforted us when we needed it too. My mom trusts her and opened up to her about her feelings that she was hesitant to tell her doctors. Sam would even sit with her and talk through her "moments" when she had them and even took her on coffee run breaks downstairs to help get her out of her room and clear her head.
We all know that the role of a nurse is hard enough, but to go out of your way to make a patient feel at ease means so much. Sam and my mother have a special bond, that's for sure. Sam explained to me that my mother was her first kidney transplant patient and that she had a special place for her in her heart. Hearing those words gave me a wave of relief knowing that someone was with her all day who cares about her like we do. I can't say enough about her and how wonderful she has been and will continue to be. Thank you, Sam, from the bottom of my heart.